" Dear Joachim, Thank you for sending your Seagate E-mail inquiry.
We have discovered that if you disable write caching then it seems to solve the issue. There should be an option in your raid controller to turn that feature off. Please let me know if that solves your issue.
If you have any additional questions, please let me know.
Regards, Krista S.
Phone: 800-732-4283 (North America)
00.800.4.SEAGATE (Europe)
1 800 759 109 (Asia, Australia and New Zealand)
Web: www.seagate.com/support/index.html"

There's no hardware RAID controller in his G5 tower (nor the onboard Mac Pro SATA) and I'm leery that this would resolve the problem but if anyone knows of a way to disable write caching in OS X on internal drives, let me know. (IIRC it's enabled by default on internal drives w/OS X but not external drives. And then there's the actual drive's write caching...) And as mentioned previously, these drives also have issues with some external case/bridge boards.
I doubt it will help (with the root cause) but I asked Joachim if he'd also try turning off Spotlight indexing on the drives also (via Spotlight prefs/privacy setting), just as a test as he noted (naturally) increased activity on the drive/array often triggers crashes.   

"Just installed a Western Digital Velociraptor WD3000HLFS SATA drive into my white (2006) 24" Core2Duo iMac w/2GB RAM. Others have commented that these drives are noiser, however my experience has been quite the opposite with complete silence even under heavy disk loading. (I think the iMac design should muffle most drive noise (compared to tower case designs). An earlier VR/iMac owner didn't mention any drive noise. But there were some drive noise complaints from pre-2008 Mac Pro owners IIRC (2008 Mac Pros have rubber isolators in the HD bays that should help a bit) - Oliver used an HD isolator in his (1st gen) Mac Pro to address that. (ref: How I "Silenced" a WD Raptor in a (1st gen) Mac Pro ).-Mike)

Boot time in Leopard 10.5.5 is greatly reduced, and the system is much 'snappier'.

Installation process was a little simpler than some of the walkthroughs that I've seen around the web, as there was less of the 'foil' to be removed/replaced once inside. It took around 15 minutes end to end, and gave me an opportunity to clean out some dust and get into the corners of the LCD to clean it properly.
Just make sure that you have some rubber cement handy for the temperature sensor to be re-applied to the drive.
-Scott"

I want to upgrade the HD in my AL (2007) iMac but I use it so much I keep putting it off. (And need to get some large suction cups at the hardware store to remove the display glass.) But I'm looking for much more capacity (i.e. a 1TB drive) and willing to give up some pure performance for 3x more storage space.
  

• AT&T to deliver iPhone tethering 'soon,' says CEO
• J.D. Power: iPhone tops in customer satisfaction
• Multiplayer Marathon for Charity
• How to stream music wirelessly (Apple how-to video on Airport Express setup)
• OS X Leopard One Year Later: 5 OS Lessons Learned (pcworld)
• Microsoft Haters, Mac Daddies and Linux Lovers
• Lotus Symphony 1.2b (beta) (with OS X 10.5/Intel-based Mac support)
• IBM Unveils Mac Support, Roadmap For Lotus Symphony
• Apple's iPod Genius Gets Fat Retirement Package (silicon alley insider)
• FourTrack Audio Recorder app for iPhone, iPod Touch
• Nisus Writer Pro 1.2
• DrawIt 3.7.2
• AudioLobe 3.4
• Apple Faces Lawsuit Over Defective PowerBook G4 (memory slot) (Apple had a Memory Slot Repair Extension Program for that but it ended on July 24, 2008.)
• Once Thought Safe, WPA Wi-Fi Encryption Is (partially) Cracked (Most routers also support WPA2, which hasn't been cracked they say)
• Intel Calls Core i7 ("Nehalem") World's Fastest, Sets Launch Date
• SanDisk claims new SSDs will dramatically raise speed (up to 100x), endurance
• Adobe Patches Acrobat, Acrobat Reader
• Report: Obama, McCain campaign computers were compromised by 'foreign entity'
• Boot Camp 2.0: Cannot install Windows Vista with LSI Logic 4GB HBA Fibre Channel card installed (Apple)
• Cisco doubles router speed with new processor
• Feature films coming to YouTube
• Speedy USB 3.0 spec to be unveiled
• Take your TV to-go with AT&T CruiseCast
• 40-MPG, 450-Horsepower Hydrogen Scorpion Unveiled (I want one...)

New G3/1GHz ZIF pricing - under $100 If you have a PowerMac G3 Beige, G3 Blue & White, or G4 'Yikes' PCI system - this is a fantastic opportunity to really kick up the performance: PowerLogix G3/1.0GHz ZIF with 1MB 1:1 L2 Cache is now $99.75 for XLR8yourMac Readers!
This upgrade provides performance that is better than most G4s up to 800MHz and very comparable to Sonnet's G4/1GHz ZIF upgrade that's thrice the price. While that G4 ZIF has 1MB of slower L3 Cache, this G3 benefits from 1MB of 1:1 (1GHz) Cache on-chip and that translates into a very efficient processor. Benchmark link on product page
In fact - as altivec isn't 100% used all the time (and not all apps/PS plugins use Altivec), the G3/1GHz PL ZIF actually tested 10% FASTER in a PhotoShop 21 filter test vs. the Sonnet G4/1GHz ZIF in a Blue and White.
And as an added bonus the power consumption is a fraction of any G4 and actually comparable to the original G3 CPUs shipped in Beige G3s/BW G3s.
Supported with Apple OS 8.6 to 9.2.2 and OS X up to 10.4.9. If it ain't broke, don't fix it - make it faster! :)
-Larry
Other Word Computing"

FYI - There's a multi-page "ZIF CPU Upgrade Roundup" (G3 1.1GHz/1GHz vs G4/550MHz, G4/800MHz and G4/1GHz) with Apps performance comparisons, game tests, installation info and more from 2004. (Although reportedly the latest 1GHz G3s are even lower power versions per a recent PL/Beige G3 CPU upgrade db report.)
  

• Apple Fiscal 2008 by the Numbers (eweek)
• VueScan 8.4.94
• Test Center review: MacBook Pro is built to last (infoworld)
• Apple Laptops: The Hits Keep Coming (businessweek)
• iPhone's Weird, wacky programs include iCycle, iThrown, iBubbleWrap, iClouds (msnbc)
• Griffin Clarifi Protective case w/built-in close-up lens for iPhone 3G
• Five Reasons iPod Guru's Exit Hurts Apple
• World of Warcraft 3.0.3 patch notes
• iDVD: Troubleshooting issues with burning discs (Apple)
• iDVD: DV widescreen 16:9 workflow from Final Cut Pro (Apple)
• Mac 101: Guide to VoiceOver in OS X (Apple)
• Switch 101: On Windows, I used to... (Apple)
• World of Goo 1.0 (physics based puzzle/construction game demo)
• Ubercaster 1.5.5 (podcast production suite)
• VectorDesigner 1.4.6
• PiP 1.0 (Show the picture from any webcam on your screen. Freeware)
• New Apple leader sets stage for the future of the iPod
• New MacBook trackpad not clicking for some users (ref: Apple forum thread Trackpad Click Not Always Registered)
• Reviews of iPhone apps that make fake calls, inventory your closet, navigate L.A. and record voice (LAtimes)
• Adobe patches 8 bugs in popular PDF apps
• FCC OKs use of white spaces to deliver broadband
• 4 Reasons Why You Should Care About White Space
• AT&T Tries Out Bandwidth Caps
• Olympus Announces E-30 DSLR

Wednesday Nov. 5, 2008

• G3 1GHz (1MB L2) ZIF CPU Upgrade price cut to $99.75
• MacBook Pro/Express34 Card reports page updated (low-cost eSATA card)
• Another G5 Tower w/Coolant leak damage getting new Mac Pro replacement at no charge
• Apple Fiscal 2008 by the Numbers
• VueScan 8.4.94
• Test Center review: MacBook Pro is built to last (infoworld)
• Apple Laptops: The Hits Keep Coming (businessweek)
• iPhone's Weird, wacky apps (iCycle, iThrown, iBubbleWrap, iClouds)
• Griffin Clarifi Protective case w/built-in close-up lens for iPhone 3G
• Five Reasons iPod Guru's Exit Hurts Apple
• World of Warcraft 3.0.3 patch notes
• iDVD: Troubleshooting issues with burning discs (Apple)
• iDVD: DV widescreen 16:9 workflow from Final Cut Pro (Apple)
• Mac 101: Guide to VoiceOver in OS X (Apple)
• Switch 101: On Windows, I used to... (Apple)
• World of Goo 1.0 (physics based puzzle/construction game demo)
• Ubercaster 1.5.5 (podcast production suite)
• VectorDesigner 1.4.6
• PiP 1.0 (Show the picture from any webcam on your screen. Freeware)
• New Apple leader sets stage for the future of the iPod
• New MacBook trackpad not clicking for some users
• Reviews of iPhone apps that make fake calls, inventory your closet, navigate L.A. and record voice
• Adobe patches 8 bugs in popular PDF apps
• FCC OKs use of white spaces to deliver broadband
• 4 Reasons Why You Should Care About White Space
• AT&T Tries Out Bandwidth Caps
• Olympus Announces E-30 DSLR

• Toast Titanium 9.0.4 update
• New MacBook Pro owner report on excessive Battery Drain (in Sleep) and Wireless problems
• Price Cuts on 4GB (2x2GB) RAM upgrade kits for Mac Pros and 2008 iMacs
• Final Cut Studio: Switch to higher performance graphics with MacBook Pro (Late 2008) (Apple)
• Motion: Higher performance graphics mode may remain active if Compressor is used to transcode Motion projects on MacBook Pro (Late 2008) (Apple)
• MacBook Air (Late 2008) with SSD: File location error message when installing Windows XP (Apple)
• iMovie '08: Importing DVD camcorder movies (Apple)
• MacBook Air: Plugging in a USB device causes MacBook Air to shut down (Apple)
• MacBook Air: Optimizing AirPort performance while using Bluetooth (Apple)
• Final Cut Pro: "AE Effects Error: Unable to find plug-in" warning when opening some projects (Apple)
• What is Gapless Playback?/iPod models that support it (Apple)
• Apple Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 2.3 (for Aperture 2 & iPhoto 08)
• Mark Papermaster Joins Apple as Sr Vice President of Devices Hardware Engineering
• Apple iPod Genius Quits, Replaced With IBM Guy
• Mac Spore Patch 2 available
• Apple: Soon to Be a Mobile Gaming Force
• Windows 7 on a MacBook Pro
• Gadget Lab Hackintosh Contest: Installing OS X 10.5.5 (MSI Wind netbook)
• (unconfirmed) New MacBooks Disable Pwnage Tool, Open Second Front in War on Jailbreaking
• Final Cut Studio Preference Manager 1.0.7 (free)
• Cineon/DPX Pro for Final Cut Studio 2 3.0.6
• Acidfanatic Acid Loops 50 Megs Free 1.0
• Kivi's Underworld 1.0 (game demo)
• Live Interior 3D Pro 2.0.1
• VaultletSuite 2 Go 2.7.5.1 (freeware)
• Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Review
• Intel Releases Core i7 Pricing - And They're Almost Cheap
• The Laptop Celebrates 40 Years

• New MacBook owner notes/benchmarks on SSD Drive Upgrade, Info on Apple BTO 128GB SSD
• Ministack v3 Quad Interface (FW800/400/USB2/eSATA) w/250GB drive clearance
• MacBook Pro/Express34 Card reports page updated
• PowerMac G5 Coolant Leaks/Repairs page updated
• Mac Drive Upgrades/Compatibility Reports Database Updated
• Mac CPU Upgrade Reports Database Updated
• How Much Ink Is Left in That Dead Cartridge?
• Netflix welcomes Mac users to 'Watch Instantly'
• iPhone users love their video games
• RapidWeaver 4.2 released
• Coladia releases Secret of the Lost Cavern for OS X
• A Better Finder Rename 8.0.3
• Is the MacBook Air overpriced?
• Mac 101: Using Time Machine in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (Apple)
• Western Digital does its version of Apple TV
• Google patches Android security flaw
• Intel Core i7 chip reviews arrive--yes, it's fast
• Always-On Notebook Cases Are both X-Ray Friendly and Idiot Approved
• Time Warner Cable Also Raising TV, DVR Rates
• Gaming on a (relative) budget: Alienware's new M17 laptop